theft
nounUK, US /θɛft/
Etymology From Middle English theft, thefte, þefte, þefþe, þiefþe, Old English þīefþ, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō, from *þeubaz (“thief”), equivalent to thief or thieve + -t (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Old Frisian thiuvethe, thiufthe (“theft”), dialectal Dutch diefte (“theft”), obsolete German Diebde (“theft”), Icelandic þýfð (“theft”).
1
The act of stealing property.
- resource theft
- Bike theft is on the rise.
3 more examples
- A suspect was arrested for the theft of a gold necklace.
- If you steal a candy bar, you are guilty of theft, regardless of the value. You can't fudge the theft by saying, "But it was only a candy bar," or "I didn't steal it from a person, but from a rich corporation," or "Everyone steals from the government."2007 July 5, Charles Hugh Smith, When Lies Become Normal, Is Truth Dead or Just in Hiding?, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2025:
- That last problem did intrude on Hazzard’s roamings, and when she refers to the living city it is with periodic references to thefts of cars and wallets, with a warning not to carry anything “snatchable” by the thieves on motorcycles who whiz through the streets.2009 February 15, Judith Martin, “It Started in Naples”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022:
- Synonyms
- bargain, burglary, larceny, heist, give-away, pinching, robbery, steal, stealing, theft, thievery, five-finger discount, midnight requisition, moonlight requisition, manifest destiny
- Derived terms
- antitheft, cybertheft, grand theft, grand theft auto, identity theft, joke theft, nontheft, petty theft, retail theft, theftbote, theft by finding, theftdom, thefteous, theftful, theftless, theftproof, theftuous, time theft, wage theft, wind theft